In Luke’s description of this parable (Luke 6:46-49) Jesus begins by asking the question, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?”

 

Here Jesus is teaching the multitudes in a parable. So what is a parable? It is a simple story giving an example of what we should and should not do.

 Here Jesus tells them about “the wise and foolish builders.” 

In Israel, there were low valleys and gullies that had been exposed to water from rain and storms. During heavy rainfall, these became swollen rivers that washed away everything in their paths.

 

A foolish builder would build his house without thinking about the dangers that he might have to face. He just wants a place where it is easy and fast to build.

The wise builder, on the other hand, would carefully plan his house. He would make sure that he had a solid foundation that would hold his house in place when the weather got bad. 

So here is the story Jesus told the people: Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.

They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood and the heavy rain came that house but could not be shaken, because it was well built.

The first man was very wise. He thought carefully about the kind of house he wanted to build. He wanted a house that was strong. If a strong wind or heavy rains came he did not want his house to break up or wash away. This wise man knew that the most important part of a house is the foundation. The foundation is the first thing that is built. It is the bottom of the house. The foundation has to be sturdy and strong to build a solid house.

The wise man looked everywhere and then he found the perfect place. He found a huge rock that would be a great place to dig a foundation for the house. He worked hard digging and chipping the rock until the foundation was the perfect size for his house. Then he built his house on the rock.

 

After he was finished he lived in the house. Many times storms came, winds blew and the rains came but the wise man lived comfortably in his house. He did not worry about the storms because he had built his house on a rock.

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on sand without a foundation.

 

This man was foolish. He did not think carefully about the kind of house he should build, he just found a nice flat place and started building. He built his house on sand and it had no foundation, he did not plan ahead, he just wanted to build a house as quickly as he could.

 

When the foolish man finished his house he moved in. Guess what happened when the first storm came? The winds blew and the rains came down and the foolish man’s house fell apart.

 

After Jesus told the parable he explained to the people what the parable really meant. He said that the wise man was like someone who listened to Jesus’ instructions and then followed them. Jesus’ instructions are always right. When a person builds his life listening and obeying God’s words, he is building a strong foundation and when things happen he can rely on Jesus as his rock.

 

The foolish man however heard the instruction but did not follow them and when the rains came he lost everything. Since, the moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.

 

When Jesus finished saying all these things to the people, he went to Capernaum. 

People were amazed at the parable that Jesus taught and were happy because the way He told this one was quite easy to understand.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to listen and obey Jesus or are you going to be like the foolish builder that built on sand and lost everything? I know what I am going to do; I am going to follow Jesus since He is my rock and my foundation. 

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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How many times do you think we should be forgiven for doing something wrong? Once? Twice? Three times? If we ask Jesus how many times we should forgive someone, what do you think He would say? Well, we don’t have to guess, because the Bible gives us the answer.

 One day, Peter asked Jesus, “How many times should I forgive someone who sins against me? Should I forgive him seven times?” I imagine that Peter thought he was being pretty kind to forgive someone seven times. I don’t know about you, but I think I agree with Peter. To forgive someone seven times is be pretty generous. Guess how Jesus responded to Peter?

“Not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Mathew 18:22)

 

Wow! Seventy times seven! That’s four hundred and ninety times. I think that before I got to four hundred and ninety I would lose count. You know, I think that is probably what Jesus was trying to get Peter to understand and he wants us to understand it too. We shouldn’t worry about keeping count of how many times we have forgiven someone; we should just keep on forgiving. Isn’t that what God does? He doesn’t keep count of how many times he has forgiven us. He just keeps on forgiving.

That is what Jesus tells us in Luke 17:3-4, “If your brother sins, tell him he is wrong. But if he is sorry and stops sinning, forgive him.  If your brother sins against you seven times in one day, but he says that he is sorry each time, then forgive him.”

God is our example of how we are to forgive others, that means completely and without keeping a record of how many times they did something bad or wrong to us.

 

Many times, when we hold a grudge meaning that we keep thinking of what the person did to us, it becomes impossible to forget. Choosing to forgive quickly is just one way we can help ourselves to both forgive and forget. 

Let’s see what the Bible says about forgiveness: God commands us to forgive. The Bible says in Colossians 3:13, “Do not be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, then forgive him. Forgive each other because the Lord forgave you.”

 

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught them to say, “forgive the sins we have committed, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us” (Matthew 6:12).

When we choose to forgive someone, we are going to feel much better giving us peace and joy because we are acting in obedience what Jesus told us.

Choosing forgiveness is just one of the many things that will make us a pleasant person to be around, and a good witness of what God is like in how He loves and forgives us.

 

Forgiving someone however, does not mean we have to trust them, and this is especially true when they keep doing bad things over and over again.

We need to remember that forgiveness is the personal choice to no longer hold onto bitterness — whether the person that did wrong ever says they are sorry or not.

It is also good to pray for that person because what they really need is to find Jesus and understand what He did for all of us when He paid the price of our sins on the cross. 

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 Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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There is a reason why God encouraged Paul to write about the “Armor of God,” because we have to use it when we battle against the enemy seen or unseen. Without the protection of the armor of God, we are defenseless against anything that comes against us. 

We need to understand that fighting in a spiritual battle means that there is an ongoing battle against good and evil, against God’s kingdom and the kingdom of the devil.

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in His great power. We need to let the Lord make us strong because our strength comes from God, and we need to learn to depend on His mighty power. 

Like a true soldier we need to put on all of God’s armor so we can be strong against the enemy. Because our fight is against the invisible that we do not see (Ephesians 6:11-12) – you might be asking what does that mean? Well, you might have someone that looks nice and friendly, but their motives are aligned with Satan and he is influencing them to do his will and not God’s will. 

We need to remember that without the strength of God and the protection of the spiritual armor, it is impossible to stand against the attacks of our enemies (Ephesians 6:13).

So how do we do this? 

First we put the belt of truth around our waist because it protects us against the lies and falsehood that the devil uses to destroy our faith in God and His promises. Truth is symbolically represented as a belt which both protects us and gathers up our garments so that we can fight effectively when we have to go to battle (Ephesians 6:14). We need to understand that soldiers or any of us do not want our pants to slide from our waist, so we need to buckle the belt tight so that it stays in place.

We also need to put on the breastplate of righteousness. This refers to the fact that we have God’s protection through the blood of Jesus. He vindicated us morally and restored us in God’s eyes. The breastplate is our righteousness through Jesus Christ and that is why it protects our most vulnerable part, our heart that was made guiltless of sin and holy through the cross (Ephesians 6:14). 

As followers of Christ, we should all be striving to live righteously. That means doing our best to do what is right and good according to God’s Word and avoiding what the Bible says is evil. When we strive to live like this, we are protecting ourselves, just like a breastplate does from the damage that sin can inflict on our heart. A soldier’s breastplate covered him from his neck to his thighs, both front and back. It protected all his important organs, such as his heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines, from attack by the enemy. 

We also have to have the right shoes on as the Bible tells us; with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Our feet are fitted with shoes or sandals that are ready to go wherever God sends us to spread the Good News in peace. This refers to our willingness to evangelize the world. This does not mean that we have to go overseas; we can minister right in our own neighborhood, in our workplace, in school at the park or within our circle of friends. Next time you put your shoes on; think about all the places they will take you and the opportunities you will have to tell people about Jesus (Ephesians 6:15). 

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The shield of faith deflects the burning arrows of the enemy. We must have faith, so the Lord equips us with the shield of faith for those times when we experience doubt. Put up your shield through prayer, quoting Scripture that you have memorized, because hearing the word of God  will give you faith and you will resist the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). 

Take the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation is very important because it guards our thoughts and reminds us of what Jesus has done for us. In the ancient world this usually was a metal head covering. And salvation is pictured as this kind of helmet, protecting our head. 

A soldier would be foolish to go into battle without his helmet (Ephesians 6:17). When we put on the helmet of salvation, our minds are protected from the attacks of the enemy. And as we learn more about our salvation and the One who saved us from our sins by studying the Bible, we begin to think more like Jesus (Philippians 2:5). It is the way we think that influences the way we act and talk, so it’s important that we protect our head and our brain with the helmet of salvation. 

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – the Bible, is used to resist the enemy. The Word of God is a powerful and mighty weapon that is sharper than any sword (Hebrews 4:12). If you do not remember a verse by memory ask and trust in the Holy Spirit because He will give you the right words to say.

Just like Jesus was able to rebuke Satan after He was in de desert for forty days with the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13), in the same way the Lord will help us when we memorize Bible verses to use them when necessary (Ephesians 6:17). Knowing God’s Word helps us defeat the devil. Satan knows God’s Word is true, and when he hears it from our mouth, he doesn’t like it, because by using the truth of Scripture it makes him back down. Therefore, having God’s Word in our hearts and on our lips is a tactic that will send the devil running in a hurry. 

And finally we are to pray quietly at all times for all believers (Ephesians 6:18). Praying makes us vigilant and strengthens us when we thank Him for all he does for us and praising Him for being so good to us. God equips us with His armor not only so that we can stand firm during battle, but also so that we can have victory in Christ Jesus. 

Always remember that a soldier must know who his Leader is – God. And be in constant communication with Him. We have to know our Commander, speak to our Commander, listen to our Commander, and, most importantly, obey our Commander. 

We hope you were able to understand how important it is to always be equipped with your invisible armor of God on. This is vital because we never know when the enemy is going to attack. Please ask your parents or your Sunday school teacher if you need further clarification. You can also write us and we will answer any question that you might have. 

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 Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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We have a lot to learn from the story of Jonah and how we should always obey the Lord instead of doing things our own way.

One day the Lord spoke these words to Jonah:

“Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it. I see the evil things they do.”

The city of Nineveh was a long ways from where Jonah was and he did not want to go there. So Jonah got up and ran away from the Lord and instead of going to Nineveh he went to the city of Joppa. 

There he found a ship that was going to the city of Tarshish. Jonah paid for the trip and went aboard. He was disobeying God and was going to Tarshish instead to run away from the Lord. 

I think that that was quite foolish of Jonah since God always knows everything. He knows where we are and what we are doing wherever it might be and we cannot hide from Him.

So the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. This wind made the sea very rough, so the ship was in danger of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid and each man cried to his own god. The men began throwing the cargo into the sea since this would make the ship lighter so it would not sink.

But Jonah had gone down inside the ship to lie down where he had fallen fast asleep. The captain of the ship came and said, “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe He will pay attention to us and spare our lives.” 

Then the men said to each other, “Let’s throw lots to see who caused these troubles to happen to us.” So the men threw lots. The lot showed that the trouble had happened because of Jonah. Then the men said to Jonah, “Tell us what you have done. Why has this terrible thing happened to us? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?” 

Then Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew. I fear the Lord, the God of heaven. He is the God who made the sea and the land.” 

Then the men were very afraid. They asked Jonah, “What terrible thing did you do?” They knew Jonah was running away from the Lord because Jonah had told them. 

By now the wind and the waves of the sea were becoming much stronger. So the men said to Jonah, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?”

Jonah said to them, “Pick me up, and throw me into the sea. Then it will calm down. I know it is my fault that this great storm has come on you.” 

The men were afraid to do that and instead tried to row the ship back to the land. But they could not. The wind and the waves of the sea were becoming stronger and stronger. 

So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t let us die because of taking this man’s life. Please don’t think we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Lord, you have caused all this to happen. You wanted it this way.” So the men picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea. 

At once the sea became calm and then they began to fear the Lord very much. They offered a sacrifice to the Lord and they also made promises to Him. 

And the Lord caused a very big fish to swallow Jonah and he was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. 

While Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God. Jonah said, “I was in danger. So I called to the Lord, and He answered me. I was about to die.  So I cried to you, and you heard my voice. You threw me into the sea. I went down, down into the deep sea. The water was all around me. Your powerful waves flowed over me. I said, ‘I was driven out of your presence. But I hope to see your Holy Temple again.’ The waters of the sea closed over me. I was about to die as the deep sea was all around me. Seaweed wrapped around my head. I went down to the very bottom and thought I was locked in this prison forever. But you saved me from death, Lord my God. 

Then the Lord spoke to the fish. And the fish spit Jonah out of its stomach onto the dry land. 

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah again and said, “Get up. Go to the great city Nineveh. Preach against it what I tell you.” So Jonah obeyed the Lord. He got up and went to Nineveh. 

It was a very large city. It took a person three days just to walk across it. So Jonah entered the city. 

When he had walked for one day, he preached to the people. He said, “After 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!” 

The people of Nineveh believed in God. They announced they would stop eating for a while. They put on rough cloth to show how sad they were. All the people in the city wore the cloth. People from the most important to the least important did this. 

 

When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he got up from his throne. He took off his robe. He covered himself with rough cloth and sat in ashes to show how sorry he was for his wicked life. 

He made an announcement and sent it through the city. The announcement said: 

By command of the king and his important men: No person or animal should eat anything. No herd or flock will be allowed to taste anything. Do not let them eat food or drink water. But every person and animal should be covered with rough cloth. People should cry loudly to God. Everyone must turn away from his evil life. Everyone must stop doing bad things and maybe God will change his mind. Maybe He will stop being angry at us and we will not die. 

God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil things. So God changed His mind and did not do what He had warned that He would do, which was to severely punish them. 

But Jonah was very unhappy that God did not destroy the city. He was angry. He complained to the Lord and said, “I knew this would happen. I knew it when I was still in my own country. It is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly. You have great love. I knew you would rather forgive than punish them. So now I ask you, Lord, please kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.” 

Then the Lord asked Jonah, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry?” 

But Jonah went out and sat down east of the city. There he made a shelter for himself. And he sat there in the shade. He was waiting to see what would happen to the city. 

Meanwhile, the Lord made a plant grow quickly up over Jonah. This made a cool place for him to sit. And it helped him to be more comfortable. Jonah was very pleased to have the plant for shade. 

The next day the sun rose and God sent a worm to attack the plant. Then the plant died. 

When the sun was high in the sky, God sent a hot east wind to blow. The sun became very hot on Jonah’s head. And he became very weak. He wished he were dead. Jonah said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 

But God said this to Jonah: “Do you think it is right for you to be angry because of the plant?” 

Jonah answered, “It is right for me to be angry! I am angry enough to die!” 

And the Lord said, “You showed concern for that plant. But you did not plant it or make it grow. It appeared in the night, and the next day it died. Then surely I can show concern for the great city Nineveh. There are many animals in that city. And there are more than 120,000 people living there. Those people simply did not know right from wrong!” 

The lesson learned is that we need to obey God and be thankful to Him when He saves people that we do not like – before it is too late. God says that vengeance is His and we should never judge others because that is God’s work (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). 

Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children, are all precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they know not God. He always gives everyone an opportunity to get right with Him; therefore, it is up to us to do so or not. What are you going to do? Are you going to start obeying Him, we hope so. 

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 Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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Acknowledgments: Thank you Roberta M. Rivera for the beautiful painting of Jonah and the fish – God bless you.

FIRST, it needs soil.

Did you know that our lives are created by God to be like a blooming garden?

 

A garden is meant to be alive with lots of beautiful plants, and great tasting vegetables. 

The Bible tells us that our life can also reflect good fruit like it tells us in Galatians 5:22-23, that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, and that we can grow in our walk with Jesus and produce all of these fruits if we plant good seeds and care for them. 

So, let’s see what a plant needs to grow. Do you know what it needs? 

You can either plant a seed in a flower bed or in a garden and you can also plant a seed in a container with soil.

 

Using good soil will make the seed grow much better than if you plant it in a hard or rocky soil. Good soil will give the plant an opportunity to grow strong roots and became a beautiful sturdy plant. 

Our hearts were created by God to bring forth fruit when His Word is planted in them. Just as a good seed has to remain in good soil over time to germinate, the same way, the Word of God has to abide in us. 

Jesus said in John 15:7, if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

Jesus nurtures us and supports us. He gives us a place to extend our roots and become strong in the knowledge of Him. And He also told us that the seed which is planted on good ground is like the person who hears the Word and understands it and produces a great harvest – Matthew 13:23.

Christ gives His children every possible nutrient we would ever need – encouragement, wisdom, peace, love…and His provisions are unlimited. 

SECOND, plants need sunlight. 

Without the sun, plants can’t get the food they need to grow, reproduce and survive. The sun is the main source of energy for almost every living thing on Earth. It gives a plant the light energy it needs to photosynthesize, which converts that light energy into a storable form (glucose – their food) and keeps plants alive. 

In the same way the Bible is our sunlight. Have you ever noticed how plants grow towards the light? Check it out sometime; they look for the warmth and strength that only sunlight can give. 

The sun is so very important because in the winter time when it is cold with frost and snow, and the sun is not as strong and warm as in spring and summer, the plants die; they need the sun to stay green and to produce the food that they need to stay alive. 

As children of God, we should also look towards the light, God’s Word, for guidance, and strength. Just like the sun is a source of food for plants, the Bible is a source of many things we need in our Christian life. 

 

The Bible tells us that God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path – Psalm 119:105. 

THIRD, plants need water. 

When we first plant a seed we need to water them so they can germinate, grow and develop. Plants also need water to absorb nutrients from the soil; and they always need water to keep growing. 

Have you ever seen wilted plants? The reason is that they are thirsty and once you give them water it might take them a little while but they revive again. So as you can see water is also very important for the plant to grow and to stay healthy. Just like us, we need water to stay alive also.

 

Refreshing water is like being with people that love and obey Jesus; supporting each other as they grow. Fellowship can be refreshing to the soul, just like water is to a plant. And can help us perk up when we are down with a refreshing word from the Bible and a loving hug from a friend. 

Jesus said, to anyone who is thirsty, I will give the water of life. It is a free gift. – Revelation 21:6 

Now that we’ve learned about what a plant needs to grow big and strong, we also need to be aware of the “weeds” that can sprout up in our garden, both in real life and in our spiritual life. Weeds can be bad influence from friends, being angry or harboring bitterness, developing bad habits like lying or cheating, not obeying our parents and many other things. 

Weeds choke plants, creating an atmosphere where growing can become impossible. Weeds work in our lives much the same way. They distract us from focusing on Christ and inhibit our Christian growth. 

Tilling the soil in our hearts, pulling the weeds, breaking up the tough ground can be hard work. But God is the divine Gardener and wants to produce a life of bountiful harvest in you if you will simply allow Him into the garden of your life.  Invite Him in … will you? 

The Bible tells that the Lord is good. How happy is the man, woman, teenager and child who trusts in Him! – Psalm 34:8.

 

Always remember that as your life is maturing on the outside, you need to make sure your faith is growing on the inside also. 

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week.  

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LOVE

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

Did you know that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and make Him the Lord of our life, that the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us and will guide us and help us understand the word of God? Because of that help, we can become more like Jesus and demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit just like when a good fruit tree produces fruit.

So let us take a look at the fruit of the Spirit that the Bible teaches us about:

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God and love one another (Mark 12:30-31). When we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves, we show the world we belong to Jesus. However, until you know that God loves you, it will be difficult to love God and to love others.

It is only when we let God’s love come into our life that we can begin to love Him, and love one another the way God wants us to.

JOY

It’s easy to have joy when things are going our way. It’s a different story when they are not so wonderful. However, followers of Jesus are called to have joy all the time, not just when everything is going well.

To have joy means to be “happy” and the Bible tells us to: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Even is we are sad, if we listen to Jesus’ words and obey them we will be filled with joy because we know that we are obeying Jesus and that He will be happy with our attitude.

 

PEACE

Sadly, the world doesn’t offer much peace; and the reason the world does not have peace is because they do not know the Prince of Peace. The Bible tells us: Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God’s peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Always remember that fear, anxiety and worry come from Satan. God wants to give you peace.

Read your Bible and pray. Submit to God and resist the Devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

PATIENCE

As we live in a very fast-paced world we don’t find many people that have the patience Jesus wants us to have. Those who call themselves Christians and who have the Holy Spirit living in them should be patient with others. We are to be patient with those who are handicapped, those who are old and cannot move so fast anymore, and there are many other reasons that we can think of to practice being patient with. Can you think of some?

Just as God is patient with us and waits for the lost to come to Him because He wants everyone to be saved  (2 Peter 3:9), we should show our love by being patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2). 

KINDNESS

The Holy Spirit can do some wonderful things in our life when we ask Him to give us a kind heart, because kindness yields marvelous fruit both in our lives and the lives of those around us. Scripture says:  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

We must always remember that a kind word or kind action to a person can do wonders for them. They may be having a bad day, but when you are kind to them, you give them the opportunity to see the love of Jesus in you, and smile.

The Golden Rule is to do unto others as you would want then to do unto you. Luke 6:31

GOODNESS

God is good towards us and He wants you to treat other with goodness.

The Bible says that it is the goodness of God that will lead sinners to repentance and salvation.

Many people say that what drew them to want to know more about God was the love and goodness they saw shining through a believer, and that believer can be you!

FAITHFULNESS

To be faithful is to be trustworthy. For the Christian, it means being faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by obeying Him every day.

Being faithful to God means not putting other things above what He tells us to do like being kind to one another, obeying your father and mother and following thru on something you promised someone you would do.

Do you give others a reason to trust you and have faith in you? Do you keep your promises? Always remember that God is faithful and keeps His promises, just as we must also do if we are to produce good fruit. Always remember that God is faithful and keeps His promises, just as we must also do.

GENTLENESS

Gentleness involves being kind, polite and helping others. Jesus teaches us to deal with others in a gentle and compassionate way just like He did throughout His ministry here on earth.

The opposite of gentleness is having an angry spirit and a desire for revenge. If, however, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we will be filled with the fruit of gentleness like Jesus wants us to be filled.

SELF-CONTROL

One of the proofs of God’s working in our life is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions. Self-control leads to perseverance and godliness (2 Peter 1:6) instead of the instant gratification of what the world has to offer.

Self-control is a gift that frees us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy mind and body. It frees us from a guilty conscience. Self-control puts the brakes on our foolish desires, giving us the freedom to love and live as we are destined to in Christ Jesus.

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As true born again Christians, we have the Holy Spirit producing fruit through us and we have the Holy Spirit’s power available to conquer the acts of the sinful nature. God’s Word tells us that, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Jesus said: “You can tell each tree by its fruit. Do people pick grapes from bushes? Do they pick figs from thorns?” Evidently not! So what kind of tree are you? Are you a good tree with healthy fruit?  If you think you are, have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and made things right with Him? Are you obeying Him every day and making Him the boss of your life? Or do you think that you can have good fruit on your own merits?

Remember that just as a tree is recognized by its fruit.  You cannot live life without God and produce good fruit.  You cannot be the “good” person that God desires you to be without becoming His obedient child, meaning you cannot do it on your own.  You need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you.  Only then, will you produce the kind of fruit of the Spirit that the Bible teaches us about.

If you want to live a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control remember what the Bible teaches: ^“I can do all this through Him (Jesus) who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week.

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Do you know when sin started?

Many children have heard about SIN, but they don’t really understand what it is, so let’s take a look at what SIN is. 

SIN = disobeying and doing bad things. Being proud an arrogant and thinking that you know everything and are better than anyone else. This sin is called pride. Using bad language and calling God, Jesus or people names is sin, and gossiping and saying something untrue about someone is also sin. 

Simply put, sin is the bad things we do that makes God sad and separates us from Him. The Bible tells us that: “When a person knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, then he is sinning” (James 4:17)

God gives us rules to live obedient lives. Many of you have heard of the 10 commandments that God gave to Moses. So when you disobey these commandments or rules, you are sinning against God. 

Here are some of the rules God has in the Bible for us: 

God tells us to: “Honor your father and your mother.” When you talk ugly or yell at your parents or disobey them, you are sinning against God. 

God also says: “Obey those who have authority over you.” When you disrespect your teachers or disobey them, you are sinning against God. 

Another rule is: “You shall not lie.” This means that you must tell the truth. When you tell a lie, you are sinning against God. It also means that you should not exaggerate, making your story bigger than it is. 

God gave us another commandment which is: “You shall not steal.” This means that you must not take anything that does not belong to you. Cheating is also a way of stealing because you are using information that you stole from someone else. When you take something that does not belong to you, or you copy something from someone because you were too lazy to study yourself, you are sinning against God. 

We are definitely not to use the Lord’s name in a disrespectful manner. Sadly, even little kids today use the Lord’s name by swearing and saying bad words; and yes, they often pick up the habit from their parents. We need to explain to children that saying nasty words to others and using God’s name in a very bad way means you do not respect God and if do not change you are going to be judged by Him and suffer the consequences of your disobedience. 

It started a very long time ago first when Lucifer who was the most beautiful angel became very proud. 

He wanted to be like God and because of his pride he was punished and was removed from heaven. 

Here on earth his name changed to Satan and he lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and made her and Adam disobey God by eating the fruit that God told them not to eat. When that happened the sin that they committed brought lying, cheating, stealing, hatred, murder, sadness, sorrow, sickness, and death into the world. 

So, why do we sin?

The reason we sin is that we have sin in our heart, because we were all born sinners. 

We inherited sin from Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, so now ALL people sin. Romans 3:23 says, “Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory.” 

Then how can we be forgiven of our sins?

In the Bible in the book of Romans 6:23 it says: “When you sin, the payment you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done for us on the cross.”  

Even though we sin, God provided the gift of eternal life by sending Jesus to die for us. All we have to do is accept that gift! 

God wants to erase your sin. First you must understand that sin is doing what God tells you not to do, and you agree with God that if you love Him you should not disobey Him. Then you must turn away from it and never do it again, and ask God to forgive you for what you have done.

1 John 1:9 tells us that: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all the bad thing we have done.” 

Once you have asked Him to forgive you, than you need to thank Him for sending His Son, the Lord Jesus, to take the punishment for your sins on the cross. 

Tell Him that you are trusting Jesus as your Savior and that you want to obey Him and ask Him to help you when you don’t know what to do; and He will! 

Once you do this, not only are your sins forgiven, but God gives you a new life. The Holy Spirit of God comes to live in your heart so you can stop sinning. 

Did you know that the name Jesus means “Savior?” 

YES! Jesus is our Savior who saves us from our sins.

 So remember the key to salvation is very simple, here it is: 

RECEIVING ETERNAL LIFE IS AS SIMPLE AS 

A – B – C 

• Admit – and confess that you are a sinner and cannot attain eternal life by myself. Repent and turn away from your sin. (Romans 3:23)
• Believe – and trust that Jesus Christ is God’s only Son who was crucified for your sins. (Romans 5:8)
• Commit – and give your life to Jesus Christ and ask Him to be Savior and Lord of your life. (Romans 10:9)  

You can also take a look at the WORDLESS BOOK for additional explanation.

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 Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week.

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Did you know that you plant seeds every day?  Let me explain what I mean.

Every day you plant invisible seeds with your words and actions. When you tell your mom, dad or grandma you love them, you are planting seeds.

When you push them away, make an unkind face or are disrespectful and have a tantrum, you are planting seeds.

Just like when you plant apple seeds an apple tree will grow; and when you plant love seeds, love grows! In the same way, if you plant seeds of unfriendliness and disrespect, unfriendliness and disrespect grows.

In the Bible we learn that whatever a person plants with their actions and attitude that is what ends up growing, whether it’s joy or anger! It warns us: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A person reaps what they sow.” (Galatians 6:7)

God sets rules for physical sowing as well as for spiritual sowing and a person cannot change God’s laws.

Are you sowing seeds of goodness, patience, and love or are you planting seeds of deceit, bitterness, and lies?

It matters what you are sowing and planting because one day, you will reap what you have sown.

The person who is disobedient to God and plants bad things in his life, like lying and stealing, cannot expect to grow good things and be pleasing to God!

God knows what kind of life we are living and knows what types of fruit we will harvest by the seeds we have planted and continue to plant and one day we will have to give an account of what we have done to Him.

All our choices good and bad accumulate over our lifetime and the harvest we reap from small choices made over a long period of time can produce very large harvests, and the harvest shows up in our character and how it affects people around us either in a good or bad way. 

Always remember that our choices form our character and that: 

• If we choose to lie – we become a liar
• If we choose to steal – we become a thief
• If we choose to be patient – we become a patient person
• If we choose to do loving things – we become a loving person

True Christians have the ability to understand and say NO to sin, because they know what the Bible teaches and know that the power of Christ has set us free from the power of sin. Because we were born with a sinful nature, sin is still present in our life, but we are no longer a slave to sin. When you become a Christian and Christ lives in you, then you are no longer a slave to sin, whatever kind it might be.

Once you truly understand what Jesus Christ has done for you, you will feel so grateful and joyful that you will want to thank Him every day of your life.

Obedience to the Lord starts by taking small steps. And here’s the good news of the gospel; when we fail, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. We can confess our sin and receive forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of Christ and then get back in step with what God wants us to do; which is to sow good seeds.

As we walk through life, we leave imprints on others lives that not only can last a lifetime, but can last for eternity. If we keep in step with the Spirit and we sow to Spirit, the Spirit will use us to leave a godly influence in people’s lives that can last for eternity.

So if you keep sowing good seeds you will have a life that is much happier here on earth and one day you will reap your reward and spend all eternity with Jesus in heaven.

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) 

This information is to help you and your child to understand that baptism is an act of obedience for those who know the meaning of salvation and have already been saved. The act of baptism is symbolic of salvation by faith; that is, having been buried with Him in baptism God makes us alive with Christ.

Baptism is an outward act in which we affirm our desire to follow Jesus on this inner path. This “death” that Paul mentions is a death to my old life, where I choose to stop living according to my sinful and biased human nature. I can then begin to walk in “newness of life” by obeying God’s commandments. (Colossians 2:12-14).

As taught and practiced in the New Testament, baptism is therefore an act of obedience by an individual and is a response to the renewing work of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Before a young person or anyone is baptized, he must be old enough to understand the gospel of Christ.

A candidate for baptism has repented of their sin, placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and wants to make Him the Lord of their life. The evident desire to obey the Lord Jesus in this matter validates their conversion experience. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me” (John 14:21).

Baptism is an important step in anyone’s journey as a follower of Christ and an outward symbol of the work He has already done in your life. The Bible paints a beautiful picture of baptism as our identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. When you make the decision to accept Christ as your Savior, the Bible says that your old way of life is dead, and you are beginning a new life with Christ.

If your child wants to get baptized, ask questions.

Baptism comes after salvation, so start with the basic questions: 

• Can you tell me who Jesus is?
• What did He do for you?

Here’s one way to explain salvation in a way kids can understand:

We need to let them know that God loves us so much that He sent His son Jesus to earth. Jesus took the punishment for our sin by dying on a cross. But Jesus did not stay in the tomb! God resuscitated Jesus and He lives.

To follow Jesus, you have to believe that He died for you and that God resuscitated Jesus and He lives.

We need to understand that we are born with something called sin, which means that we all mess up at times and do wrong things. When we sin we deserve to be punished for those things, right!

So, we need to tell Jesus that we are sorry for the way we behaved and we need to repent. To repent means to change your mind; to turn away from sin and turn to God. We can then ask Jesus to forgive us and He will and His Holy Spirit will come and live inside us because Jesus knows our heart and knows that we no longer want to do anything that intentionally hurts Him.

Here are some initial questions that could provide insight if a child or a person is ready to be baptized:

• Why would you like to be baptized? This question is asked to determine the motive or conviction to be baptized – e.g. to please their parents, friends, etc. or to obey God. 

• Who should be baptized? This question is asked to clarify if they understood that baptism is a special act linked to salvation. 

• What is baptism for? This question is asked to determine the level of understanding about the symbolism of baptism. 

• Do you think that being baptized will make it easier for you to follow the Lord?  This question is asked to ensure that the child or person is not disillusioned about the Christian walk after baptism. 

• Have you made a decision to follow Jesus Christ and make Him the Lord of your life? This is a very critical answer.

To make sure the child understands, here are additional questions that you might ask and confirm that they are aware of what is really taking place, since this is a very important commitment that they are making for life: 

• What is baptism? – Baptism means that I am telling people that I understand what Jesus did for me. It is a public profession of faith that tells people that I have decided to follow Jesus.

NOTE: Explain to your children that many are baptized without really understanding what baptism means and we can see that they did not understand because there is no change in their behavior, they continue lying, cheating and doing all kinds of bad things that the Bible tells us not do do. Jesus tells us that by their fruits you will know them. Baptism is a serious matter that needs to be understood before a commitment is made. It is important at any age to be knowledgeable of the meaning of baptism. 

• What does baptism represent? – That we are buried with Christ and shared in His death; that we are buried with Him when the pastor puts us under the water and when we come up out of the water it represents that we are going to live a new life, just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of God the Father (Romans 6:4).

 

• When we are baptized does the water wash away our sins in the same way that we wash the dirt of the body when we take a bath or a shower? (1 Peter 3:21) – NO, the water is a symbol of our sins being washed away because we believe in Jesus Christ and what He did for us, and that we now want to obey Him. 

• Why do we get baptized? – We get baptized to follow the example Jesus set for us. It is an act of obedience. Jesus said: “I tell you the truth. Unless you are born from water and the Spirit, you cannot enter God’s kingdom.” (John 3:5)

• Who was Jesus baptized by? (Matthew 3:13-17) – He was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist.

• When was Jesus baptized? (Luke 3:21-22) – At the beginning of His ministry

 

• Why was Jesus baptized? – Because He wanted to be an example for us, and God wanted everyone know that Jesus was His beloved son. When Jesus was baptized and He came out of the water a voice spoke from heaven. The voice said, “This is my Son and I love him. I am very pleased with him.” (Matthew 3:17)

Baptism is an important part of your relationship with God and it shows obedience to Jesus Christ. Baptism is not something we do because friends are doing it or because it looks kind of fun. We are baptized out of obedience and love for Jesus to tell everyone we are following Him by the way we behave, speak, live and treat others. And everyone can see that something really wonderful happened because the Holy Sprit who Jesus Christ sent is now living in us.

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers, obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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After Ruth had been working in Boaz’s field for many months helping her mother-in-law; one day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi spoke to her.

She said, “My daughter, I must find a home for you. It should be a place where you will be provided for. You have been working with the women who work for Boaz. He’s a relative of ours. Tonight he’ll be separating the straw from his barley on the threshing floor. So wash yourself. Put on some perfume. And put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let Boaz know you are there. Wait until he has finished eating and drinking. Notice where he lies down, then go over and uncover his feet and lie down there.

“I’ll do everything you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor. She did everything her mother-in-law had told her to do. 

Now after all the hard work, when Boaz had finished eating and drinking, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Then Ruth approached quietly. She uncovered his feet and lay down there. 

Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet!  “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”

Boaz was related to Noami’s dead husband Elimelek. 

Then Boaz said, “The Lord bless you! You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. Now don’t worry about a thing, I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.

But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well; let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the Lord lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.”

 

So Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses.

And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”

After thinking for a little while, the family redeemer told Boaz: “I can’t redeem it because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”

Boaz was very happy; and in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”

Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. You are all witnesses today.” 

So Boaz married Ruth and the Lord blessed them with a son and they called him Obed.

Obed was the father of Jesse whose youngest son David became King of Israel. So Ruth played a very important role in Bible history because Mary the mother of Jesus was a descendant of King David. 

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Goodbye, until next time. Until then, remember to say your prayers, obey your mom and dad and do not forget to go to church and Sunday school next week. 

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